Fall in love with the New World’s finest Pinot Noirs

France tops the list when it comes to many things that are close to our heart at Pinosity – the country has delicious cheese, is home to a host of the finest restaurants, has the world’s most rambunctious lovers (apparently), and of course we adore their Pinot Noir.

But to be fair, when it comes to Pinot Noir, France had a head start on the rest of the world. The first Pinot Noir grapes were planted way back yonder in the first century.

Fast-forward over 2,000 years and the rest of the world are giving the French a run for their money when it comes to this seductive, refined red.

So outside of France, whose Pinot Noir should you be checking out? Here is our dating advice.

Ahr Valley, Germany

Of the region’s 560 hectares of vineyards, more than half are planted to Pinot Noir – a surprise to many in the wine industry due to the Valley’s location.

Decanter reveals that while the majority of German Pinot Noir is grown in warmer locations such as Pfalz and Baden, Pinot Noir has a love affair with the Valley due to the soils, which are basalt and slate.

A leading winery in Ahr is Jean Stodden, which dates back to 1900. Its 2010 Spätburgunder (German for Pinot Noir) is a true delight according to Decanter.

Wine.com describes the 2012 vintage as a wine that showcases layers of wild strawberry, pomegranate and raspberry jam, while also featuring savoury flavours of white pepper and sage, as well as a hint of briny ocean air.

Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa

Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, with its English translation of ‘heaven on earth’ is a fitting description of one of the world’s most picturesque wine regions, and the region sure can produce a good Pinot Noir.

One winery leading the way is Newton Johnson Family Vineyards. The family owned vineyard says Pinot Noir is the epitome of the vineyard and over the years, the Pinot Noir vines have been fine-tuned to produce winning wines.

Central Otago, New Zealand

Next stop is New Zealand’s Central Otago, home to a whopping 1,484 hectares of Pinot Noir.

Remember how we said France has some of the oldest vines, well Central Otago has some of the youngest with vines for the Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir planted in 2001.

But this by no way has impacted the quality of the wine.

Since 2001, Dijon clones of Pinot Noir were planted to create the Block 5 Pinot, which Decanter holds in high regard, voting the 2015 vintage as one of the best Pinot Noirs in the world, outside of Burgundy.

“Lots of energy on the palate; the structure is acid-led, with tannins in the supporting role as they should be for Pinot, and there is an unwavering persistence of fruit.”

Tasmania, Australia

Huon Hook, one of Australia’s major wine critics, once said:

“Ask a mainland Aussie winemaker what other region of Australia he or she would like to make wine in, and the most common reply is Tasmania.”

And he couldn’t be more on the money!

With its ideal cool climate, the quality and character of Tasmanian wines improves every year as the vines age and winemakers and viticulturalists learn more about Tassie’s unique growing and wine making conditions.